Sleeping Platform for Truck Bed

Hey. I finally got a shell for my 2011 Tacoma TRD double cab with a five foot bed and would like to build a platform in the bed for camping (very excited to spend my off days sleeping in the mountains of southern Colorado). I am looking for pictures and ideas on what people found worked for them. Still undecided if I want to do something simple or really put time and money into building it out from the start. Thank you in advance!

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...eping-platform-drawer-storage-systems.424709/

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/solutions-for-sleeping-in-short-bed-5ft.429253/

 

Here's my setup. Need to re-staple the carpeting on the wood, but it worked pretty awesome. 9 day road trip around the Great Lakes.

Recommend buying battery operated LED adhesive light strips, then sticking the adhesive side to adhesive-sided Velcro and placing them on the ceiling of the cap.

 

1/2" or 3/4" plywood on top of 4 to 6 milk crates. Use drywall screws, they'll go right into the plastic milk crates. Cut a side out of the milk crates and use them for storage. The 6 gallon crates are awesome for storage. I've done this a few times. You can make the platform any size you want, more narrow and have room to roll a mountain bike in.

 

Here you go, I just posted to the platform thread mentioned above.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...atform-drawer-storage-systems.424709/page-121

 

I forgot to mention, you can sleep diagonally with shell closed in bad weather.

 

Thanks for all the ideas from the thread, heres my ongoing project

Handles from Penn Elcom
3" latex mattress topper, stiffer and cooler and more expensive than memory foam

 

Check this out
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJCfKOMhXdZ/?igshid=1fygo7rt13rqd

 

Is that a short bed?

 

Negative, it's a 6'

 

what’s everyone doing for cushion
Like what’s the cheapest

I saw foam at Home Depot but don’t know the dimensions
Other than that I know of IKEA twin mattress topper which is okay
Better than nothing
$90

 

May not be cheapest but I've seen some use hiking sleep mats. Compact, light, comfortable.

 

The start of my setup:

6' bed, so it really doesn't help OP. A drawer would be nice but I am installing a flexible solar panel on the roof of the cap and will have a battery/power station under the platform. LED strip lights will be attached to the roof of the cap and I will figure out some form of curtains for the windows. And for a little extra room when parked, I bought this tent setup:


It's free standing when you disconnect the 4 straps, so you can set up, go exploring for the day and back up to it and re-attach in minutes. I figure, if the weather is crappy, I can set up a table and chair in the tent to hang out. Or, a person could put a sleeping bag on a cot. Lotta windows, so it breathes well.